It is if you are a hardline unionist.Paisley is DUP but TUV are more hardline than they are.The saving grace is that the DUP are a bigger party than Allisters TUV party.
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I suspect the certainty that Labour were going to walk it suppressed their vote quite a bit.
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Wasnât Liz Kendall pencilled in for that during the last reshuffle - I thought Ashworth had moved into a different role?
To add a bit more positivity, although I think there will be a bounce back to the Tories at the next election simply due to less people protest voting, I also think how much movement will depend on how Labour go.
Just remember we are talking about a population that has had 14 years seeing every public service going 10 steps backward without seeing any benefit from that sacrifice. Labour needs to show them that that doesnât have to be the normal.
Doing so wonât take any of the Reform vote back nor likely any of those that voted Tory this time, but it could hold a good wedge of Labourâs gains.
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No idea, he was still the Shadow Secretary at the point of the elections.
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Boo hoo⌠Iâm 45 years old and this is the first time anyone Iâve voted for has won 
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What will it take to make the DUP and TUV (I think UUP is more sober) to disappear?
How many Reform MPs are there now?
4 Reform MPs. I think one of the two seats remaining has a chance of returning a fifth one.
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Nothing will make Unionism in NI disappear. It has itâs roots in tribal sectarianism going back for centuries, but the good news is that demographics are making it less and less relevant. Only 16% of the NI population is Presbyterian, the majority religion of the Unionist parties, and that is decreasing.
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I heard the youngsters donât care about religion anymore. They care about public services being run properly, having a decent education, jobs, good society with efficient law and order.
Its the middle aged and older lot who just want to hang on their bigoted past.
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I thought somebody said that there were twenty plus coming up. Phew!!
Four is still alot in my view to make alot of noise.
Was his name Nigel and did he smell of ciggies and stale piss?
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Iâd bet decent money there will be a couple of by-elections before the next GE.
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Just got a text from Pedroâs mum. She said he is getting alot of invites from the Lib Dems and Conservatives.
She has told him he better go off to university and concentrate on his studies.
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Sat in Burger King with the missus on Tuesday.
Woman and 2 kids about 8 years old.
One kid with a Celtic top on sat there singing IRA songs, mother just sitting there browsing her phone and stuffing her fat face said nothing.
No wonder everybody who doesnât support Celtic despises them.
Little brat probably has no fucking idea who the IRA actually are
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Heâs not the messiah!
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Iâm not too worried about Reform. Theyâll rattle their swords after this for a while, but Iâm fairly certain the vast majority of the votes they got were either in protest or from dyed-in-the-wool Tory voters who just wanted change but also couldnât bring themselves to vote for Labour or the Libs. Some may even be a bit embarrassed by how well Reform did last night now the dust is settling.
Five years under Labour, and assuming the Tory party hasnât imploded in the meantime (always possible), and I imagine most of those will vote blue again rather than waste their vote.
Reform wonât have staying power.
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